Ross, West Coast Map

About Ross, West Coast

Ross is a locality in the West Coast Region of New Zealand. It sits at an elevation of around 11 m above sea level. It lies approximately 57 km south-west of Greymouth, the regional capital. Ross is located at 42.8883°S, 170.8101°E. It observes New Zealand Time (NZST/NZDT).

Ross rests in a valley where the land softens into undulating farm paddies and the distant murmur of the Totara River provides a constant, low hum. It lies 134.7 km north-west of Ashburton (from Ashburton: bearing 326°T), and is situated 23.0 km south-south-west of Hokitika. Here, the air carries the earthy scent of damp soil and the sweet, pervasive perfume of blooming clover, especially potent after a soft rain. Rolling hills, cloaked in a patchwork of emerald pasture and the darker, more somber tones of native bush, rise to meet a sky that often shifts from the steely grey of impending weather to the clear, expansive blue of settled days. Beyond these immediate contours, the land continues its gentle swell, hinting at the broader topography of the West Coast, a region defined by its dramatic inland contours rather than a proximity to the open sea.

The history of Ross is deeply entwined with the rhythm of resource extraction and the resilience of those who sought their fortune from the earth. Once a hub for gold mining, echoes of that era still linger in the landscape and in the memories of its long-standing families. Today, the local economy is primarily shaped by the enduring strength of agriculture, with dairy herds dotting the surrounding paddocks, their contented lowing a familiar sound. Forestry also plays a significant role, the nearby Mikonui Forest a testament to the region’s timber heritage. For travellers seeking the wilder aspects of the West Coast, Ross serves as a gateway, offering access to trails that lead towards the imposing Ford Ridge and the spectacular cascade of Tarleton Falls, a reminder of the powerful forces that have shaped this land.

About This Ross Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Ross, West Coast, New Zealand at coordinates -42.88829, 170.81012. Use the Map and Satellite buttons to switch views, the plus and minus buttons to zoom, and Fullscreen to fill the screen.

Search Maps opens a second, independent map with four things the embedded map cannot do. It searches OpenStreetMap for any New Zealand town, suburb or landmark by name. It offers LINZ topographic maps as a base layer — the official Topo250 and Topo50 sheets, switching scale automatically as you zoom, and the standard reference for tramping, hunting and back-country travel. It offers LINZ aerial imagery down to 5cm resolution in urban areas. And it can take a single GPS fix from your device and report your position as both an NZTM2000 grid reference and plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what New Zealand search and rescue services work from. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map itself cannot load.

My Location & Navigate starts the vector-tile navigator: live turn-by-turn driving directions from your current position to any destination, with spoken guidance, lane hints and automatic re-routing.

Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time New Zealand and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorial description provides background on Ross.

Ross sits within the West Coast Region. Location data is drawn from the GeoNames geographical database and verified by coordinates, ensuring the correct Ross is identified even where the name is shared across multiple New Zealand localities.